Superhero comic books, originally an American art form, epitomize escapist entertainment, but have, since their inception in the late 1930s, represented another American principle: capitalism. In June 1940 when Marvel Comics—then known as Timely—paired its two most popular characters in one story, the publisher succeeded in enthralling its audience while reaping huge profits.

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Over the past ten years or so we’ve seen a lot of epic superhero remakes pass through theaters. There’s the Spiderman trilogy, Iron Man 1 and 2, and The Dark Knight just to name a few. All of these movies sport excellent original scores by some of the best composers the world has to offer.